Trade Marks: Enemy Ace - War Idyll

This is one that I have meant to read for quite some time. I have always loved Enemy Ace - as Kanigher and Kubert created one of the most interesting characters of the Silver. This slim volume introduces us to an elderly Hans Von Hammer, who sits down for a series of  interviews. This device allows the story to be told via flashback as the Hammer of Hell Reminisces on some notable episodes of the Great War. This is all filtered through and compared to his interviewer's experiences in Vietnam. I know that all of this was done with the intention of making a grand statement about the price of war through the 20th Century. Unfortunately, it actually comes across as another late 80s statement on the hopelessness of the Vietnam War, ultimately undermining the impact of the WW1 episodes in this tale. While it looks gorgeous, in the story end it trips on its own ambition. Trade Mark: B-